Tip: Managers Take Charge, And Earn Their Employees’ Respect

QUESTION: I need to hire an office manager. I have an employee that’s been with me for 5 years that I am thinking about promoting. Is that a good idea?

ANSWER: Well, Maybe. It depends on the person. Becoming a manager requires a whole new set of skills. In fact, an effective manager’s job has very little to do with knowledge of cleaning, and more to do with his/her organizational and leadership skills. An effective manager must be able to take charge and earn their employees’ respect. The key questions to ask yourself are:
Does this person have a willingness to learn new things? Are they capable of handling multiple tasks without becoming overwhelmed? Do they have computer skills or could they get some quick education on them? Will this person be able to gain the respect (not friendship) of the people that work for him / her?

If your answer is “yes” to all of these things then it may be worth a try. If you can promote a staff member to be an effective leader you have the potential for long term loyalty since he/she “grew up” in the company. Also, it’s a great motivational factor for the rest of the staff to see that you promoted from within, and that it could happen to them too some day. On the flip side, if your answer is “no” to any of the above questions, then my recommendation is to look for your manager outside the company. Find someone with demonstrated management skills and then teach them about cleaning.